# Please help me with this weird taste?



## YourNoob (Jan 19, 2010)

Note: Im a new a smoker
Alright so, everytime im smoking any pipe that i have with any kind of baccy in it, once i reach 3/3s down the pipe it starts to taste like burnt ashes. I cant even finish it cause it tastes like freshly cracked peppers and smoldering ashes.
I know for a fact im not smoking it all the way down as there is some tobacco left underneath the ashes.
As a result i find it hard to create a cake on the bottom of the pipe.

Could someone help me with this?


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## Mr.Lordi (May 20, 2007)

Try dumping out the ashes on top of the unsmoked baccy, tamp down and relight.


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

YourNoob said:


> Note: Im a new a smoker
> Alright so, everytime im smoking any pipe that i have with any kind of baccy in it, once i reach 3/3s down the pipe it starts to taste like burnt ashes. I cant even finish it cause it tastes like freshly cracked peppers and smoldering ashes.
> I know for a fact im not smoking it all the way down as there is some tobacco left underneath the ashes.
> As a result i find it hard to create a cake on the bottom of the pipe.
> ...


Dottle eh? My first thought is your tobacco might be a little on the moist side. Are you smoking a lot of aromatics in it? They have a tendancy to be "goopy". Also filling procedures play a big role, not too tight & not too loose. The sticky threads on here should be able to answer most of your questions.


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## Terrier (Jan 15, 2010)

I don't know if this is the issue, but as to the unburnt baccy,is the draught hole above the bottom of the chamber? The draught hole should be at the bottom of the chamber.


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## YourNoob (Jan 19, 2010)

The hole that leads to the tenon is slightly above the bottom of the pipe


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

Sounds to me like your tobacco is charring ahead of the burn. I used to have that a lot of times too but not nearly as often these days. Smoke gently and if need be, don't fill your pipe so full.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

commonsenseman said:


> Dottle eh? My first thought is your tobacco might be a little on the moist side. Are you smoking a lot of aromatics in it? They have a tendancy to be "goopy". Also filling procedures play a big role, not too tight & not too loose. The sticky threads on here should be able to answer most of your questions.


You (OP) didn't mention the baccy being smoked. What Jeff sez, note that most "house blends" are basic burley slathered with fruity slime. Some burleys have a tendency to taste "ashy", especially the bottom end stuff often used for OTC/bulk aromatics. Smoking style, too, may contribute to ashy taste - you may be experiencing some species of tongue bite from over heating/puffing.


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## Mr.Lordi (May 20, 2007)

RJpuffs said:


> You (OP) didn't mention the baccy being smoked. What Jeff sez, note that most "house blends" are basic burley slathered with fruity slime. Some burleys have a tendency to taste "ashy", especially the bottom end stuff often used for OTC/bulk aromatics. Smoking style, too, may contribute to ashy taste - you may be experiencing some species of tongue bite from over heating/puffing.


What he said. Also Some straight burleys, often experience the "burley bitters", as they are called.

Which is, mid to late bowl, they can start to taste off. Sir Walter comes to mind as one that does this, but its not enough to deter me from smoking and enjoying it.


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## Terrier (Jan 15, 2010)

YourNoob said:


> The hole that leads to the tenon is slightly above the bottom of the pipe


If it is only slight, it should not be an issue. Let us know when you resolve the "wierd taste" issue. Good luck.


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## YourNoob (Jan 19, 2010)

RJpuffs said:


> You (OP) didn't mention the baccy being smoked. What Jeff sez, note that most "house blends" are basic burley slathered with fruity slime. Some burleys have a tendency to taste "ashy", especially the bottom end stuff often used for OTC/bulk aromatics. Smoking style, too, may contribute to ashy taste - you may be experiencing some species of tongue bite from over heating/puffing.


I think this may be due to my smoking technique as i get this taste with practically any type of tobacco i smoke. The exception may be to MacB's Mixture but everything else is at fault.

I may try to slow down my technique and pack it not as tight to see how it goes.
Just a question, would scraping and emptying out the top layers of ashes help with burning the tobacco underneath it.
I also notice this taste greatly when i go to relight my pipe when i set it down


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

YourNoob said:


> I think this may be due to my smoking technique as i get this taste with practically any type of tobacco i smoke. The exception may be to MacB's Mixture but everything else is at fault.
> 
> I may try to slow down my technique and pack it not as tight to see how it goes.
> Just a question, would scraping and emptying out the top layers of ashes help with burning the tobacco underneath it.
> I also notice this taste greatly when i go to relight my pipe when i set it down


If you're putting the pipe down for an extended period of time (half hour+?) swab it out with a pipe cleaner before leaving the pipe, some of the rancid taste should go away. I'm not a fan of "dumping ashes", I prefer to tamp it AROUND (not down) to keep the burn even, if and when necessary. And do keep the pipe clean, i.e. sweetener/alcohol scrub (inside) about every 10 bowls or so.


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## Twiggz (Feb 15, 2009)

I've noticed when I first started the pipe, that if I smoked too fast and over heated the tobacco I would get an ash flavor. Even if I put the pipe down to cool, it would still taste like ash for the rest of the bowl.


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## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

> Sounds to me like your tobacco is charring ahead of the burn.


Yup, rather than slowly burning the tobacco from top-down by gently puffing, over-puffing causes the entire tobacco stack to burn and "char". Once the tobacco gets burned like that, the only flavor you have left is the char.


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## briarbrian (Jan 27, 2010)

sometimes dottle just tatses bad in certain pipes. Chuck Stanion once said when asked, When do you decide to dump your pipe out when smoking it, do you smoke the dottle , etc? His answer was, "I dump it out when it starts to taste bad, no matter how far down it is burned." 

You dont have to burn every single tobacco strand in the bowl it just isnt going to happen all the time, sometimes it does but it isnt necessary, smoke to enjoy it, not to be able to burn every tobacco bit in the bowl.


Let's face it, if it tastes bad it isnt worth wasting your time smoking it is what I say.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

I have thoughts. I love overthinking this stuff.

1. Sometimes burley (like over-the-counter Carter Hall or Prince Albert to name two) may develop an ashy or cigarette-ie taste. It just does that sometimes. Dump it, swab the pipe, go on.

2. A new or uncaked pipe will likely get wet in the lower part of the bowl as a smoke progresses. Too much moisture in the hands of a newguy will retard burning thus increasing the odds of uber-tamp, relights and hotter burns. All this affects flavor. Lots of opinions about this but, from my view, caked pipes smoke drier, hence easier, than new pipes. Time resolves cake and experience issues - time like, say, the time to smoke 20-30 bowls from a new pipe. It isn't all going to come together in week-one.

3. If whatever you're smoking (and whatever you're smoking it in) won't burn easily to nearly the bottom of the pipe try filling only half-bowls and making sure draw stays lightly restricted; the tobak will burn better and the lower part of the pipe will stay drier. This is a purely mechanical thing. Your most rewarding technique will develop with experience.

Weird tastes suck. Smaller loads, gentler fill/tamp, break in the pipe, gain some experience. All problems solved in six-months to two-years. Gay-rhone-tee. :tu


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